In
response,
the
Ministry
of
Local
Government
and
Public
Works
is
urging
RDCs
to
adopt Nhimbe/Ilima,
a
traditional
Zimbabwean
communal
labour
system
in
which
communities
pool
resources
and
work
together
for
a
common
cause,
to
address
the
crisis.
Speaking
to
councillors
and
local
authority
staff
from
Matabeleland
North
during
a
recent
training
session
by
the
Herbert
Chitepo
School
of
Ideology,
Local
Government
Minister
Daniel
Garwe
stressed
the
need
for
collaboration
among
RDCs
to
repair
and
maintain
roads.
“We
want
to
see
our
roads
properly
maintained.
The
acting
director
of
local
government
services,
Tapiwa
Zivovoyi,
has
informed
us
that
the
rural
road
network
is
no
longer
passable,”
Garwe
said.
“We
are
well
aware
of
this,
but
now
is
not
the
right
time
to
start
roadworks.
If
we
repair
roads
today,
heavy
rains
will
come
tomorrow
and
damage
them
again.”
Garwe
explained
that
the
government
is
drawing
inspiration
from
the Nhimbe/Ilima concept,
a
traditional
practice
in
which
communities
unite
to
assist
each
other
in
farming,
harvesting,
and
construction.
He
urged
RDCs
to
pool
their
construction
equipment
and
resources
to
tackle
the
road
infrastructure
crisis
collectively.
“The
president
has
directed
the
Ministry
of
Local
Government
and
Public
Works
and
the
Ministry
of
Transport
and
Infrastructure
Development
to
develop
a
programme
based
on
the
traditional
principles
our
forefathers
used,”
Garwe
said.
“The Nhimbe/Ilima principle
teaches
us
that
a
community
can
pool
resources
for
a
shared
objective.
In
this
case,
that
objective
is
to
restore
and
maintain
our
roads.”
Garwe
pointed
out
that
various
RDCs
own
construction
equipment,
and
by
sharing
these
resources,
they
could
collectively
address
road
infrastructure
challenges.
“Tsholotsho
has
some
equipment,
as
do
Nkayi,
Hwange
RDC,
Hwange
Local
Board,
Victoria
Falls
City,
and
Binga.
If
we
pool
these
resources,
we
can
focus
on
one
district
at
a
time,”
he
explained.
“For
example,
we
could
move
all
the
equipment
to
Nkayi
and
complete
all
its
roads
before
moving
on
to
the
next
district,
such
as
Tsholotsho.
That
is
the Nhimbe/Ilima concept.”
The
minister
expressed
disappointment
that
local
authorities
had
not
yet
adopted
this
collaborative
approach,
despite
having
the
necessary
equipment
and
resources.
“I
am
disappointed
that
the
director
of
ceremonies,
who
is
also
the
director
of
local
governance
in
this
region,
did
not
communicate
this
last
year.
We
could
have
already
seen
progress,”
Garwe
said.
“The
Minister
of
Transport,
through
ZINARA,
will
provide
all
the
fuel
required
for
this
initiative,
and
we
will
also
service
the
equipment.”
Garwe
added
that
the
initiative
aligns
with
the
government’s
mantra, Nyika
inovakwa
nevene
vayo (The
country
is
built
by
its
people),
calling
on
citizens
to
take
ownership
of
development
efforts.
“What
we
are
doing
is
putting
the Nyika
inovakwa
nevene
vayo principle
into
action.
We,
the
people
of
Matabeleland
North,
have
the
necessary
equipment.
By
pooling
our
resources
through
the Nhimbe/Ilima initiative,
we
can
repair
roads,
build
new
ones,
and
maintain
bridges
using
what
we
already
have,”
he
said.
Garwe
argued
that
resource
fragmentation
among
RDCs
was
a
major
barrier
to
progress.
“Some
councils
have
graders
but
lack
rollers
or
water
bowsers,
making
it
impossible
to
complete
roadworks
independently,”
he
said.
“The
reason
it
seems
like
we
cannot
fix
the
roads
is
because
we
are
fragmented.
Tsholotsho,
for
example,
has
three
pieces
of
equipment—a
bulldozer
and
a
grader—but
without
a
roller
and
a
water
bowser,
they
cannot
complete
a
road.
However,
if
each
district
contributes
equipment,
we
can
achieve
what
our
forefathers
did.”
The
minister
reminded
councillors
that
the Nhimbe/Ilima concept
is
not
new
but
a
tested
approach
that
has
been
used
for
generations.
“Our
forefathers
applied
the Nhimbe/Ilima system
for
planting
and
harvesting.
They
pooled
resources,
worked
together,
and
shared
the
harvest.
We
do
not
need
to
reinvent
the
wheel—it
already
works.
We
just
need
to
implement
it,”
Garwe
said.